The WNBA season has not gone as anticipated for the Chicago Sky. There are loads of causes for that, however Angel Reese is a giant one.
Reese, the seventh decide within the 2024 WNBA draft, is a lightning rod. She’s tried to match her stardom to Caitlin Clark, but the product on the court docket hasn’t matched up.
Of their assembly earlier this season, the Iowa legend recorded a triple-double, trying like an MVP candidate. Reese, then again, has struggled from the soar in 2025, a minimum of offensively.
As a rookie, Reese averaged a double-double with 13.6 factors and 13.1 rebounds per recreation. She solely shot 39 p.c from the sector, however there was hope that proportion would considerably enhance this season.
It hasn’t.
Reese is bringing down 12.6 rebounds per recreation. But, her scoring common has dipped to 9.3. What’s even worse is that her field-goal proportion is 30.9 p.c, together with a dismal 30.8 p.c on two-point makes an attempt.
That two-point proportion is 10 p.c decrease than final season. Reese is taking fewer photographs and enjoying fewer minutes. Extremely, the previous LSU star is averaging 5.6 offensive rebounds per recreation, however she’s identified for occasionally rebounding her misses.
Reese is not Chicago’s solely downside, although.
The Sky had been anticipated to contend for the WNBA playoffs, and buying and selling for a few WNBA All-Stars — Courtney Vandersloot and Ariel Atkins — signaled the group’s perception that it may take the subsequent step.
Reese and Kamilla Cardoso had been an enormous a part of that pondering. Cardoso, the No. 3 general decide within the 2024 WNBA draft, has been higher than Reese, however she hasn’t taken a second-year leap both.
The 6-foot-7 heart has upped her scoring common by a degree (9.8 to 10.9), however the capturing proportion has dropped barely with extra quantity (52.1 to 50.8). Her minutes are down, alongside together with her blocks and rebounds (1.4 to 0.7 and seven.9 to six.1, respectively).
Reese and Cardoso had been anticipated to be a dominant tandem. As an alternative, they’ve regressed in 2025.
The outcomes do not lie. Neither do the superior stats. Chicago has the Eleventh-best document (2-5) out of 13 groups, however is twelfth in level differential (-12.7) and ranks twelfth in offensive (97.4) and defensive ranking (113.4).
Atkins has performed nicely. She’s main Chicago in scoring (13.7 ppg) and capturing 40 p.c from three-point vary. The five-time All-WNBA defender hasn’t helped Chicago’s protection, although.
The offense took a serious hit over the weekend, as Vandersloot is out for the season with a torn ACL. She was the Sky’s finest playmaker (5.3 assists) and the third-leading scorer.
Hailey Van Lith is more likely to see extra minutes. She performed a career-high 26 minutes on Saturday, scoring seven factors. She could give the Sky a much-needed spark.
Up subsequent are the New York Liberty on Tuesday, the defending WNBA champions. New York is thrashing groups by a mean of 19 factors, so issues may go from unhealthy to worse for Chicago.
Reese is not the one downside. However she hasn’t performed like an answer both.
The LSU product is an elite rebounder, but when she desires to be seen in the identical mild as Clark, her recreation must increase.
Reese has been one of many worst offensive gamers within the WNBA, and till that modifications, Chicago will likely be caught within the cellar.
